Narong Sasitorn, Director-General of the Department of Middle East and Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will officially visit Bahrain and Qatar during May 13 and 16.

Narong said that the planned visit will be the first time for the PM to travel to the Middle East . He stated that the trip is considered important as Bahrain is a good friend of Thailand , who has been supporting the country at the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting while it was presenting the case on the years-long conflicts in Thailand ’s three southernmost provinces.

In addition, PM Yingluck’s visit will focus on the collaboration on energy and construction projects in Bahrain , which include the national airport construction and the city plan improvement.

In Qatar , the Thai PM is planning to strengthen ties through the collaboration in the construction of a national football stadium and various basic infrastructure projects.

And as Qatar is set to host the 2022 World Cup, Thailand is hoping to propose a closer cooperation in the fields of medicine and health care, as the country has been recognized the world over for its expertise in orthopedic surgery.-VNA/NNT